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Megium felt the heat from the fire touching him, though he knew it was far below and had no way of climbing the rock mountain. Don’t look down, he thought. Don’t look down. Why am I here?

Why indeed was he here? Climbing the rock mountain? He hated heights, the very thought of being high up make him dizzy and faint. But the Watchers had told him that if he wanted to gain the power to save the city, he had to climb the mountain. Megium screwed his eyes shut and climbed on.

Down below he heard screams, his eyes snapped open and out of the corner of his eye he saw a purple glow. The edged of the fire were turning purple. And the color was spreading.

Poison.

Had there not been a store of poisons near the edge of the city? Yes! If he didn’t hurry everyone would die. Megium got to his feet, feeling his heart flutter and his stomach roll. He had to run. He set his face grimly and began to run up the gentle slope, avoiding smooth patches of rock lest he fall back down the mountain.

By the time he reached the top Megium was exhausted and feeling spent. He was there, he had made it. He stumbled forward and his eyes widened in wonderment. The top of the mountain was flat, flat as if it had been cut with a fine blade. And at the centre of this flat surface was a hole. He went up to it and was awed. There was no way of telling how deep this hole was, only that is measured a man’s arm length in diameter. From it’s dark unseen source rose small multicoloured specks.

“Welcome young one. Are you ready to help your people?”

Megium licked his lips. This was one of the Watchers. She seemed to have risen from nowhere, and now watched him through her murkey white eyes.

“Yes!” How many were already dead? How much damage? Was he too late?

“Then you must step into the Pit. And I will speak the spell.”

“What’s going to happen?”

“We will give you our magics. But for us to give you such a gift you must be willing to sacrifice an equally valuable gift.”

“What?”

“Your right arm.”

Megium paled. No only did she ask him to fall into a deep pit filled with sparkling lights…she wanted his right arm!

“W-Why?”

“There is no time. Step into the source or they will all die.” As always the Watcher’s voice managed to remain monotone and still relay the urgency of her instructions.

Before his fear overtook him, Megium quickly stepped into the center of the source. Suddenly he realised he was not falling. He looked towards his feet, the small coloured specks had gathered to support his weight. It was as if he stood on firm ground.

The Watcher began to speak in another language that seemed to be made mostly of hisses. Megium felt his arm lift upwards. Colored specks surrounded it, and then it was gone. There was no pain, but the blood made him faint. He looked away.

Suddenly there were 6 watchers standing around him. They all touched him, and he realised distantly that they no longer were transparent ghost-like creatures.

“In exchange for flesh and existence, we give you our magics.”

They began to glow a faint white color, and then the glow spread into him. It was as if his body was going to explode. He heard rather than felt the magic. It buzzed, quickly escalating to a loud droning sound. He cried out, it burned.

And then it was over.

Gasping for breath, suddenly acutely aware that his arm was missing and he was losing blood, Megium felt himself pulled away from the centre of the source.

“You have not the training to master these magics…but I will help you.” Said one. “Call out to your people with your mind. Call them to the mountain. Then raise a wall of stone to protect them.”

“But how?”

“See it in your mind. Hear it in your mind. Then put all your will into it happening. Do it now.”

Megium was at the edge of the mountains top. The city was on fire. Only a small area around the basee of the mountain was untouched…and even that was threatened. He had to act. He would. He could.

-People of the mountain. My name is Megium. If you wish to live, come unto the mountain. Quickly!-

At first he saw their confusion, but quickly they began running up the mountain face, if only to be farther from the deadly purple fire.

Megium felt his will fading, his conscious leaving. He had lost too much blood. He had to do it now.

A pang of guilt passed through him as he saw that some people still remained outside the safety of the mountain, some even still in the burning city.

-I’m sorry.-

In his mind he was a wall, one half the mountain’s height, smooth as silk, slippery as ice, something nothing and no one could climb. It was thick, thick enough that it could not be destroyed, strong. Their protector. And then he willed it to exist.

The ground rumbled. The ground around the mountain’s base began to rise. It glowed red with magic. It rose, higher and higher. As it reached Megium’s chose height, it stopped, hardened and smoothed, becoming the wall of his imaginings.

And then he fainted, and knew no more.

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This is the prologue to an unfinished 40+ page story I spent some time over the summer working on. At page 46 I ran out of ideas on how to move the plot forward so I set it aside. For this part I'd just like some ideas on how I can improve it, please. Also wouldn't mind knowing what people didn't like and why.